During the offseason, it was announced that the NBA would be introducing its first-ever In-Season Tournament, and the turn to December means the start of the quarterfinal round, writes Robert O’Connell for The Wall Street Journal.

To turn the tournament into more of a spectacle, the NBA will have two competing networks — TNT and ESPN — collaborate in providing coverage for the games.

Among the multiple broadcasters and analysts from the two networks who will be responsible for covering the slate of games include ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and TNT’s Charles Barkley.

Both men have ties to Philadelphia in their unique ways.

Barkley, a Hall of Fame former basketball player, was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984 NBA Draft, and played 8 of his 16 professional seasons with the team.

Smith, on the other hand, was a reporter and columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer for over a decade before making his way to ESPN. 

While networks have collaborated to some degree in the past, this particular kind is unprecedented. 

“This is an innovative way of letting the fans know, this is important, this is major, this is historic,” said David Roberts, ESPN’s head of event and studio production.

Read more about the NBA’s efforts to reel in fans for the first-ever NBA Cup at The Wall Street Journal.

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